The Cow's Mouth, source of the Ganges

This chromolithograph is taken from plate 13 of William Simpson's 'India: Ancient and Modern'. The source of the Ganges lies at 13,000 feet above sea level, in the forty-kilometer long Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas. It springs from a cavern called Gaumukh, meaning 'Cow's Mouth', because of its shape. The glacier is one of the more accessible in the Himalayas and pilgrims trekked to this sacred spot.